Fermentation Reactor Segmented Mixing Zone for High-Solids Processing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional fermentation apparatuses face inefficiencies due to low solid material content, leading to large reactor volumes, high heating costs, incomplete fermentation, and reduced gas yield, along with operational challenges like foaming and hygienic risks from incompletely fermented materials.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that utilize a container with a lower mixing zone for feeding organic material and microbes, creating a plug flow that segregates into distinct layers for efficient fermentation, allowing for high solid content processing and separate removal of fermented materials, thereby optimizing gas production and fermentation stages.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional fermentation apparatuses use low solid material content to ensure proper mixing and heating, then mixing and temperature control are improved, but reactor volume increases, heating costs increase, and fermentation efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The fermentation reactor is divided into two distinct zones: a lower mixing zone for initial mixing and heating of low-consistency material, and an upper fermentation zone for high-solids fermentation. This segmentation allows each zone to operate under optimal conditions independently, resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and reactor volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The process transitions from a single-phase horizontal mixing approach to a two-zone vertical configuration. Material is fed vertically into the mixing zone, then overflows into the fermentation zone, utilizing vertical space to achieve both thorough mixing and efficient fermentation without requiring excessive horizontal or total volume.
2Quantity of substance
If conventional fermentation apparatuses increase reactor volume to handle high solid content, then solid material content can be increased, but heating costs increase and fermentation time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The lower mixing zone handles the energy-intensive mixing and heating of material at lower solid content (2-15%), while the upper fermentation zone operates with high solid content (15-50%) requiring minimal heating. This segmentation concentrates energy consumption in the zone where it is most efficient, reducing overall heating costs while maintaining high solid material content.
Solution Approach 2:
Material is pre-mixed and pre-heated in the lower zone before entering the upper fermentation zone. This preliminary action ensures that when high-solids material enters the fermentation zone, it already has optimal temperature and consistency, eliminating the need for continuous heating in the large-volume fermentation zone and reducing total energy consumption.
3Stability of the object's composition
If conventional fermentation apparatuses use continuous mixing to maintain uniform distribution, then microbial distribution is improved, but fermentation completeness decreases and gas yield reduces
Solution Approach 1:
The lower mixing zone provides continuous mixing for uniform microbial distribution, while the upper fermentation zone operates without mixing to allow complete fermentation. This segmentation allows the system to achieve both uniform distribution and complete fermentation by decoupling these two functions into separate zones with different operational characteristics.
Solution Approach 2:
The mixing function is extracted from the fermentation zone and confined to the lower mixing zone. This extraction allows the fermentation zone to operate as a static, undisturbed environment where complete fermentation can occur without the disruptive effect of continuous mixing, thereby improving fermentation completeness and gas yield.
4Ease of operation
If conventional fermentation apparatuses operate with low solid content for easy mixing, then mixing efficiency is improved, but gas yield per reactor volume decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The lower mixing zone operates with low solid content (2-15%) for efficient mixing, while the upper fermentation zone operates with high solid content (15-50%) for maximum gas yield. This segmentation allows the system to achieve both easy mixing and high productivity by placing each function in the zone where it is most effective.
Solution Approach 2:
The system utilizes vertical zonation to separate mixing and fermentation functions. The lower zone handles mixing at low solids, while the upper zone captures high gas yield at high solids. This vertical arrangement allows both low-solid mixing efficiency and high-solid gas productivity to coexist in the same reactor volume.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables efficient mixing at low consistency, high gas yield per reactor volume, complete fermentation, and controlled temperature optimization, resulting in a more economical and effective fermentation process with minimal operational disruptions.
Implementation Method 1
Biomass can be fermented by suitable microbes, in anaerobic conditions, to gas, liquid and solid material
Implementation Method 2
Gas is formed as microscopically small gas bubbles, which fix into the particles of the material to be fermented. Thus, the gas exerts a buoyancy force on the particles
Implementation Method 3
Uniform distribution of the fermenting microbes in the biomass to be fermented, as well as maintaining temperatures suitable for the process, is advantageous to the process. Therefore, the biomass to be fermented is advantageously both mixed and heated in the fermentation reactor
Implementation Method 4
the biomass to be fermented is advantageously both mixed and heated in the fermentation reactor
Data Source
Figure 1a~1b
Figure 2a~2b
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention relates to a method of and an apparatus for fermenting organic material in an apparatus comprising a container, wherein the method comprises the steps of feeding organic material and fermenting microbes (414) to the lower portion (410) of the container, whereby material already existing in the container (419, 421) moves upwards as a plug flow, fermenting the upwards moving material and generating gas thereof, removing the generated gas and completely fermented material from the upper portion of the container,wherein the organic material and fermenting microbes in the lower portion (410) of the container are mixed by a mixing equipment (412) arranged therein, so that the mixing is cyclically stopped or slowed down and a liquid layer (415) is segregated from the mixed material to the bottom of the container, and the liquid layer is removed from the bottom of the container.